At the 2nd Digital Entrepreneurship and Artificial Intelligence Fair in May 2023, the Benin government unveiled its project for an AI-based conversational.

 Benin is embarking on a project to develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems that prioritize local languages. This collaborative effort brings together the Information and Digital Systems Agency (ASIN),the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalization, Sèmè City, and iSHEERO, a group specializing in data science and AI expertise.

The data collection phase for local languages was launched on Wednesday, May 8th and the gathered information will be used to train large language models (LLMs) powered by AI.

This national initiative aligns with Benin's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, adopted in January 2023. The strategy aims to harness the potential of AI in various sectors, including education, healthcare, agriculture, and tourism. Additionally, it seeks to position Benin as a leader in AI development within West Africa.

A March 2024 report, "AI and the Future of Government: Unexpected Effects and Critical Challenges", published by the Moroccan think tank Policy Paper, highlights the challenges faced by countries with limited language data when implementing AI models. Benin falls into this category, and this participatory campaign aims to address the potential digital divide arising from AI applications.

"The efficacy of these AI technologies hinges on the availability and quality of data, requiring datasets (corpus) that are not only extensive but also diverse and representative, to ensure their applicability across a wide spectrum of languages and contexts," the report emphasizes.

Adoni Conrad Quenum